When you hear ‘Cali hair’, what’s the first thing you think of? For us, it’s sun-kissed highlights – the kind that add chunky, piecey, volume-boosting dimension to every hair colour. That’s where Californian Luxelights comes in. Inspired by SoCal surfer girls and San Fran city-dwellers, our new Wella colour service is a tribute to the Golden State – and golden locks.
Discover how you can create the look with our Californian Luxelights guide. Plus, check out four more ways to achieve the most sun-kissed highlights on the west coast…
What are LuxeLights?
First up, let’s give you the lowdown on Luxelights Opens in a new tab. We first launched this technique last year, offering you and your clients a glossy twist on the traditional grey coverage Opens in a new tab service. Essentially, Luxelights combines a root touch-up Opens in a new tab with luminous, light-reflective highlights Opens in a new tab, so you get a flattering contrast that helps to boost dimension.
Californian Luxelights takes this one step further by veiling lengths in sun-kissed Opens in a new tab, blonde hues, with extra attention paid to the face-framing layers. Then, an all-over glossing service is applied to achieve sun-shimmery shine. This look is high on gloss and low on maintenance – just the way we like it.
How to Create Californian Luxelights
1. Illuminate with Luxelights
Apply your Luxelights first. Mix BlondorPlex Opens in a new tab with Welloxon Perfect Opens in a new tab 1.9%, then sweep the formula through chunky slices for prominent hair lightening Opens in a new tab. Leave the colour to develop in foils to elevate the lift.
2. Touch Up the Root
Next, add a root shadow Opens in a new tab. By using permanent Koleston Perfect Opens in a new tab, you give your clients up to 100% grey coverage. Blend their target shade with Welloxon Perfect 6%, and brush it through the root area. We used 88/02. Then, when the highlights and root shading have developed, rinse with WellaPlex No2 Opens in a new tab and a colour-kind shampoo.
3. Give Hair a Gloss
Finally, smooth on a root-to-tip gloss using Koleston Perfect + Welloxon Perfect 1.9% + INVIGO Color Service Post Color Treatment Opens in a new tab in a 1:1:1 ratio. The sun-kissed shade we applied for this look is 9/31. Dreamy.
Level Up Your Luxelights
To give your client’s Luxelights an extra sun-kissed boost, try these easy, speedy enhancing hacks.
1. Mix Enough Natural In
When you’re mixing up that grey-defying root shadow, make sure you add a Pure Naturals shade to your client’s desired Koleston Perfect hue. You’ll need 1/3 to cover 30-50% grey and 1/2 for 50-100% grey.
2. Use Colour-Kind Haircare
When rinsing hair, apply shampoos and conditioners that care for coloured locks – and recommend them for at-home use, too. We rate the ColorMotion+ Color Protection Shampoo Opens in a new tab, Moisturizing Color Reflection Conditioner Opens in a new tab and Structure+ Mask Opens in a new tab for keeping sun-kissed highlights looking salon-fresh.
3. Spritz with a Glossing Mist
Complete Californian Luxelights with tousled waves and a spritz of EIMI Glam Mist Opens in a new tab. Not only does it add weightless, luminous shine, but it also keeps flyaways at bay. Win-win.
4 More Techniques for Sun-Kissed Highlights
Link Cali Luxelights with other highlighting services to help your client achieve a sun-kissed mane. Here are four lust-have techniques to team with a root shadow...
1. Babylights
Image Credit: @hairbyhelene.tj Opens in a new tab
Babylights Opens in a new tab are micro-fine highlights that mimic the hair colour of your childhood summers. They’re perfect for finer locks, because they elevate volume in the most natural-looking way. Create this look by taking finer slices during step one of your Californian Luxelights technique. You can go chunkier through the face-framing layers for a statement-making, sun-drenched vibe.
2. Twilighting
Make no mistake: Californian Luxelights aren’t just for creating a beachy blonde ‘do. You can also apply them to darker locks with a twilighting technique Opens in a new tab. Less sun-kissed and more moonlit, this trend sees golden tones sparkle on a brunette base. Here, Matthias Herzberg Opens in a new tab used 6/71 + 6/0 for the root shadow, followed by 7/75 in the glossing formula.
3. Moneypiece Highlights
Image Credit: @coloristnat Opens in a new tab
Show them the money(piece) by bumping up the weight of your face-framing highlights Opens in a new tab. For this look, a deeper root stretch has been balanced by a thicker ribbon through the front, which gives locks an après-surf feel. You can even create it in three side-by-side slices, with the first starting at the very root. Then, as you get further away from the hairline, start applying the highlights further down from the roots.
4. Lowlights
Image Credit: @stefan_scholz_hair Opens in a new tab
Working with an existing blonde that would benefit from soft, subtle dimension? Instead of adding highlights, weave in lowlights Opens in a new tab that break up the brightness and lend a little texture. You can do this with the same colour you’re applying to the root, sweeping it in fine pieces to avoid a blocky blonde. Think of it like a reverse balayage.
